


i am the fire to guide you

by Qunsua



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-02 06:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15790629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qunsua/pseuds/Qunsua
Summary: Hector couldn’t wait for the day when he could finally teach Lilina how to use the weapon he loved so much.But the fire inside Lilina wasn’t quite the same as the fire inside Hector.What did that matter, though? It was still fire, after all, and the same blood still ran through both of their veins. Even if he couldn’t teach her directly, Hector was going to help in any way he could.





	1. Immortal Spark

Everyone said Lilina was just like her father.

It wasn’t just that she had his hair and eyes, although that was certainly part of it. It was also her stubbornness, her fire, her determination, her conviction that someday she would be a great ruler too.

And, of course, as he was learning, her fascination with his axes. He couldn’t wait for the day when he could finally teach her how to use the weapon he loved so much.

Hector heard a loud crash come from the hall where he kept his weapons. Although his voice was stern as he called out to his daughter and made his way over to her, there was a fond smile on his face.

“Lilina, how many times have I told you, you can take down whatever weapons you want and look at them but make sure you ask–”

He froze, the smile fading from his face as he noticed the large axe that had fallen inches away from Lilina. A faint hum of electricity emanated from the blade.

Armads. The thunder axe.

_I am power. Power without peer. I am the dragonhunter. I am the fleshbiter, the bonecrusher, the skullbreaker, the doombringer._

_You desire strength? Then prepare yourself. Once you have gained such power… Your life will not end in a comfortable bed. You will die on the battlefield. In the savage garden of war’s bloody delights._

Hector had known perfectly well what he was getting himself into when he chose to wield the axe. He wouldn’t have it any other way–it was the only way he had to help the people he loved–but he had made that decision so that no one else would have to.

Especially not his beloved daughter.

It wasn’t as if any harm could come to her just by taking it down to look at it, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

“Lilina, choose any other axe. Not that one.”

“But why, Papa? This is the coolest one you have. It’s big, and it’s got thunder powers, and–”

“No.”

“Why?”

How was Hector supposed to explain the fate he had brought upon himself by taking up Armads? It was dangerous, but so was any other weapon. It was too big for Lilina, but so was every other weapon Hector owned.

He supposed he at least owed her part of the truth. “It’s cursed.”

“Why do you have a cursed axe, Papa?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older. For now, if you want to look at an axe, I can show you Wolf Beil, okay? Or a smaller axe. One that’s more your size.”

“When can I learn to use an axe like you?”

“Soon, Lilina. Soon.”

“Lord Hector.” An old man dressed in long robes made his way into the hall. “It is time.”

“Ah. Of course.” Hector had almost forgotten. Like every young noble, Lilina needed to be tested for magic. It was just a formality. Hector didn’t have a magical bone in his body. Surely they’d find nothing; and then he’d be able to train her on his own in axes. Or perhaps lances. The axe wasn’t for everyone of course. “Lilina, you need to go with the nice man, okay?”

“But why?”

“Remember how I told you that some people have magic?”

She nodded.

“Well, we need to see if you do, okay? I promise you’re not in trouble.”

It was just a formality, right? And then Hector wouldn’t have to concern himself with magic ever again.

 

* * *

 

“Your daughter has magic.”

That didn’t mean anything, right? Maybe it was some magic, but not enough to make a difference. Maybe Hector could still train her the way he wanted.

“And lots of it. We can tell she will be a very gifted mage one day. It would be a waste not to find her a magic instructor…”

Hector’s heart sank as the old mage continued to speak. What did he know about magic? What did he know about the extraordinary force that permeated the whole world around them, or whatever it was that Pent and Canas had always been going on about as they set up camp together?

And what of the axe? Clearly she had been fascinated with his axes.

No. With Armads.

Hector smacked his forehead in frustration. Bullheaded though he may be, he at least knew that there was such a thing as thunder magic. If there had been a flame axe in Castle Ostia, Lilina would surely have made a beeline for that as well.

“Papa! Papa!” Lilina’s voice rang out from behind the mage. “It was so cool! I can make sparks, and they’re all different colors, and they said that someday I can make fire, or thunder, or–”

There was so much light in her eyes. Hector wanted to be disappointed that he couldn’t teach her his fighting style, but all he could see in her face was himself. His own joyful expression the first time he laid his hands on an axe and knew that this, not the sword or the lance, was for him.

So the fire inside Lilina wasn’t quite the same as the fire inside Hector. What did that matter? It was still fire, after all, and the same blood still ran through both of their veins. Even if he couldn’t teach her directly, Hector was going to help in any way he could. Tomorrow he was going to go straight to Castle Reglay and ask Pent to teach him everything about magic–

No, surely Pent was too busy to answer Hector’s barrage of questions. He was the Mage General, after all.

(That sounded like something Eliwood might say. Hector must be getting senile in his old age.)

What about those kids they had traveled with? Erk and Nino, the young mages? They must not be kids anymore. Maybe they’d be interested in teaching. And Pent would surely be the best person to ask about where they were now.  
  
And after all, he had a lot to teach Roy, who had shown no aptitude for magic and had been drawn to the sword ever since he was a toddler. There was no way Hector was going to let Eliwood have all the say in Roy’s training. An axe might not be the same thing as a sword, but it wasn’t as if you couldn’t apply one to the other.

And maybe this was for the best.

If Lilina wouldn’t be specializing in axes, there was no chance that the curse of Armads could ever touch her.

No, that wasn’t true. Hector had known from the minute he touched Armads that he was dooming not only himself, but everyone who loved him as well.

But at least she would be spared from having to suffer the same fate as him.

Just to be on the safe side, though…he would return the axe to the Western Isles within the next few weeks.


	2. Born a Miracle from the Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Updating in honor of the father-daughter voting gauntlet, even though this ended up being more about Pent and Erk than Hector and Lilina! 
> 
> Yeah this is really just a bunch of dialogue but it's Important Dialogue That Needed To Happen.

“Lord Pent?”

The Mage General looked up from his paperwork with a heavy sigh.

“Lord Hector of Ostia requests an audience with you.”

An incredulous expression crossed Pent’s face. Lord Hector had never made any secret of the fact that he found Pent stuffy, both because of his courtly manners and his preoccupation with magic rather than weaponry. What could he possibly want with him now, years after their battle with Nergal? 

“Now,” the messenger added. Of course. Lord Hector never liked to wait.

Pent stood, turned, and made his way to the front hall of Castle Reglay, cape flowing behind him.

“What is it, Lord Hector?” He looked quite different. A thick beard was growing on his chin and laugh lines wrinkled his face, but his eyes held the same blaze Pent remembered.

“It’s. It’s about my daughter. Lilina.”

“Your daughter,” Pent echoed. He thought of his own well-mannered children, trained in all the latest court etiquette. Somehow he couldn’t imagine any child of Lord Hector’s being able to survive as a princess in this cutthroat world. But then again, if anyone was cut out to be a loving and protective father, it was Lord Hector, who had doomed himself by taking up a cursed axe because he could think only of protecting his friend. Pent had to admire that. He was always so busy with his duties as Mage General that he doubted his own abilities to be a father. Of course Louise was there for the children too, but he needed to do better.

“I just learned that she had magic...and I was wondering if you…” Lord Hector looked more vulnerable, more beseeching, than Pent had ever seen him.

“Lord Hector.” Pent sighed heavily. “I admire your desire to do the right thing for your daughter. I would do the same for my children in a heartbeat. But I already have so many–”

“I know.”

Pent could only stare.

“I know you’re always busy. That’s why I was going to ask you about Erk and Nino. I thought you of all people would know where to find them. They’re not as busy as you are. And I figured they’d be less likely to be annoyed by all my obnoxious questions.”

Lord Hector? Showing forethought? Anything could happen, Pent supposed. “Well. I assumed you already know that Erk is like a son to me. He’s been my student, and lived here with Louise and me, ever since he was young. He’s absolutely wonderful with my children. I’ve been hoping he’d follow in my footsteps one day.” 

“As Mage General.” 

A soft gasp came from the back of the room. Hector’s hand instinctively flew to his axe.

“L-Lord Pent…” A fluff of purple hair poked through one of the side doors.

“Erk! Where did you come from? Lord Hector was just asking about finding a teacher for his daughter. He actually wanted you to do it, but since I was going to train you to be the next Mage General after I retire...I have talked about this before with you, haven’t I?”

Erk only stared. This was not the Erk that Hector remembered, thin and gangly, awkward and nervous, all arms and legs with a mass of fluffy, unruly purple hair on his head.

“I couldn’t imagine anyone better.”

“I...Actually, I…” Pent stared expectantly, but Erk kept stumbling over his words. Maybe he wasn’t so different after all, Hector mused.

“Come on, Erk. Spit it out. We haven’t got all day.” Hector said. His tone was gentle despite his stern words. “Lord Pent’s like your dad, right? He’s not going to disown you. And you know me, I won’t be mad even if you call me a crusty old fart.”

“I….Idon’twanttobeMageGeneral.”

“What was that?” 

“I don’t want to be Mage General.”

Pent sputtered in confusion for a second, then regained his composure. “Well...I...is there something you want to do instead?”

“I want to be a teacher,” Erk said, more firmly than Hector or Pent had ever heard him speak. “Lord Pent, you...when you took me in as your student, and treated me with so much care, and made sure I never overextended myself, and believed in my potential...you saved me. I...I want to do that for other people. I want to be a teacher. I want to help other young mages find their potential.”

Now it was Pent’s turn to be speechless. He felt his eyes get misty–no, he mentally insisted, it was just eyelashes. In both eyes. Yes. “Erk, I...why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want to disappoint you.”

“Erk, I’ve never been prouder of you than I am right now. I’ve always been proud of you, but...this just shows me that you understand the power of what I’ve been teaching you. I’m so, so proud of you. I hope you know that.”

Hector smiled sadly. So Pent knew what it was like now, too. When your child wasn’t doing what you’d hoped, but they ended up doing something even better for them and making you even happier. “Well, Erk, you’re in luck. I don’t know if you heard, but I was just telling Lord Pent that my daughter Lilina was tested for magic and has powers, and that I wanted to find a teacher for her.”

Erk’s face lit up. “Lord Pent! Can I…”

“Of course.”

“Well. I guess that’s it, then,” Hector said. “How’s Nino doing, anyway? I meant to ask about her teaching Lilina, too. Thought if anyone would know about her, it would be Lord Pent.”

“Nino!” Erk’s face lit up. “She’s one of my best friends in the world.”

Hector refrained from commenting on the fact that he’d barely ever seen Erk talk to anyone who wasn’t Pent, Louise, or Serra.

“She came to live with us for a little while after we defeated Nergal. Lord Pent was so excited to start teaching her. Honestly, she’s part of the reason I wanted to teach. Just...she had so much raw talent when I first met her. She could do so much and no one had ever taught her anything. You remember, right, Lord Pent? And yet she grew up thinking she was nothing but garbage. Just...I don’t want to see anyone go through that. I want to help people learn about their potential.”

Pent and Hector both stared at Erk, the same misty expression crossing their faces. How could someone so young be able to put their feelings about their own children into words so perfectly? When had Erk gotten to be so mature, so eloquent?

“Anyway,” Erk said awkwardly, noticing their stares, “she’s doing great! She lives in Pherae now with Jaffar–”

Hector bit his tongue at the mention of the former assassin.

“–but she comes to visit a lot! You know, I think she’d be a good teacher herself. She came from such a horrible place and she’s still one of the kindest people I know. She’s definitely a whole lot better with kids than I am. Maybe she should do it instead of–”

“Absolutely not,” Pent cut in firmly. “It would be good for both of you, and for Lilina, if you worked together. You have the advantage of extensive formal training. Nino has the temperament, as you said, and while she may not have the background you do, that can help her to approach things in ways that might not be immediately obvious.”

Erk’s face lit up for a second, then a pained expression crossed it again. “But...what about finding your successor as Mage General, Lord Pent?”

“Erk. I’ll work something out if it means that you get to do what it is you want. The young General Cecilia is a very powerful mage, powerful enough to be one of Etruria’s first female knights. Perhaps she’d be interested. Or if not, I can find someone else.”

The smile returned to Erk’s face. Hector stepped forward and gave him a friendly slap on the back. 

“Ow!”

“Ah, sorry.”  _ Way to go, Hector. Great impression to make on your kid’s teacher. He might be only a couple of years younger than you, but he’s still a skinny mage. _ “Happy to have you, Erk.”

“So, back to Ostia it is?”

Hector nodded, glancing back at Pent as he left. “You know, Lord Pent...you might be stuffy, but you’re a damn good father. I could learn a thing or two from you.” 

“And likewise I believe I could learn from you.” Pent smiled. “Be well, Lord Hector.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Be well, Lord Hector," he says to the guy who's doomed to die a bloody death by cursed axe. Way to go, Pent.
> 
> I know Cecilia is supposed to teach Lilina and Roy but:  
> 1) I wanted there to be a reason why Erk isn't Mage General.  
> 2) I'm really invested in the idea of Erk and Nino working on magic stuff/teaching stuff together.  
> 3) I do what I want.


End file.
